Fixture clamp with pivotally mounted actuating screw



Dec. 13, 1955 J. SAXTQN 2,726,693

FIXTURE CLAMP WITH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ACTUATING SCREW Filed Jan. 9, 195325 3 a. fi! "95B? 24 7/24,?!

mun/111mm mam/mmanna/11mm@ rim/N M SAXTON IN V EN TOR.

ATTOENE Y.

United States Patent FIXTURE CLAMP WITH PIVOTALLY MOUNTED ACTUATINGSCREW John N. Saxton, El Monte, Calif.

Application January 9, 1953, Serial No. 330,427

2 Claims. (Cl. 144-290) The present invention relates to clamps of atype which may be secured to a foundation member, such as a work benchfor the purpose of securing work during certain operations thereon.

In the aircraft industry it is sometimes necessary to rapidly andsecurely fasten down to a work bench parts to be welded, and the presentinvention permits a workman to secure the work firmly and still releasethe work rapidly when the weld is completed.

An object of the invention is the provision of a clamp which isefiicient in operation of few parts and generally superior to clampspresently known to the inventor.

A further object is the provision of a clamp so constituted as to bereadily released from work, and when so released, to automatically moveto a second position, remote from the work.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a fragmentary side elevation, partly in section of theimproved clamp;

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the clamp shown in Figure 1;

Figure 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on the line 33 of Figure l; and

Figure 4 is a side elevation of the clamp shown in Figure l, the jawbeing in moved position.

Referring now with particularity to the drawing, the clamp includes ajaw having a pair of members 1 and 2 in spaced apart parallelrelationship, each member comprising two arms 3 and 4 in substantiallyright angle relationship. In other words, each member is of bellcrankform. A pin 5 passes transversely between the arms 3, and carried onsaid pin, between the said arms,

' is a block 6. interposed between the members 1 and 2 at the bightportions thereof is a block 7, which is rotatably mounted upon a pin 8,secured to members 1 and 2. Arms 4 for members 1 and 2 are rotatablysecured to a stand or support comprising a pair of substantiallyparallel side plates 9 and 10 by means of apin 11 passed through saidside plates and the said arms, there being a sleeve 12 interposedbetween the arms and carried on said pin 11. The side plates 9 and 10are provided with base members 13 and 14 in substantially right angularrelationship to the side plates and which base members may be secured tosome foundation member by means of screws, bolts or the like, asindicated generally by 15. The side plates 9 and 10 are substantiallytrapezoidal in form, which is to say, each side plate has two parallelsides 16 and 17, the side 17 having the greatest height, while a side 18extends from the upper edge of side 16 at an angle to said side, andmerges with a recessed portion 19 of a keeper 20. The keeper 20 takesthe form of a segment of an annulus, with the recess 19 in each sideplate facing forwardly, which is to say, facing toward the members 1 and2.

To maintain spacing between the side plates, the said side plates arepinned at 21 and 22, there being sleeves interposed between the sideplates and carried on the pms.

2,726,693 Patented Dec. 13,- 1955 For the purpose of swinging the clampmember, an elongated thrust screw 23 is provided, one end 24 of saidthrust screw being received within the block 7, as shown in Figures 1and 2, and held therein in any approved manner, while the opposite endof said screw is enlarged at 25, and provided with a handle 26. Carriedon the threads of said screw is a nut 27 provided with aligned sidetrunnions 28 and 29, the trunnions adapted to be received within therecesses 19 when the clamp is engaging work, as shown in Figure 1.However, the trunnions may be easily removed from the recesses 19 bymoving the thrust screw in one direction to release the block 6 from thework. To move the clamp from work position and out of the way of thework, a coil spring 30 is provided. One end of said spring is secured toa transverse pin 31 interposed between the arms 4, with the opposite endof the spring secured to the pin 21. The tendency is, therefore, to atall times swing the jaw to the position shown in Figure 4.

The operation, uses and advantages of the invention just described areas follows:

The support or stand for the jaw of the clamp is adapted to be fastenedto a work table or other suitable foundation, either by bolts, orscrews, as indicated at 15, or by any type of clamping means which mayengage the portions 13 or 14. The work indicated at 32 may vary as tosize, and it is assumed that said work is to be welded to some otherobject. Accordingly, the work 32 must be held securely to the foundationmember. The operator judges the height of the work relative to the benchand then brings the block 6 into position over the work. The not 27 maybe rotated upon the thrust screw 23, whereupon, the trunnions are passedover the curved keeper and into the recesses 19. Upon turning the handle26 to I rotate the thrust screw, the block 6 is brought into eugagementwith the work. Immediately upon completing an operation, the handle 26may be counter-rotated to release the block 6 from the work, whereupontrunnions 28 and 29 are released manually from the recesses 19 and thespring will automatically swing the jaw to the position shown in Figure4.

It is intended that a large number of devices of the character of theinvention should be fastened to a work bench so that operations mightproceed rapidly on various work pieces.

I claim:

1. A clamp as disclosed, including: a stand having two spaced-apartparallel side plates of trapezoidal form, two edges of each of whichmerge with a top keeper portion of segmental arcuate form, a jaw havinga pair of side members in spaced-apart, parallel relationship, each sidemember comprising two rigidly connected arms in substantially rightangular relationship, one end of each side member being pivotallymounted between the side plates at a point below and forwardly of theconcave sides of the arcuate keeper portions, a block rotatably mountedbetween the side members at the angle portion between the arms thereof,a thrust screw secured at its outermost end to the rotatable block, anut provided with a pair of end trunnions carried on said thrust screw,each trunnion adapted to be detachably received in the keeper portionsof the side plates, and a work engaging block rotatably carried betweenthe side members of the jaw at the outer ends thereof.

2. A clamp as disclosed, including: a stand having two spaced-apartparallel side plates of trapezoidal form, two edges of each of whichmerge with a top keeper portion of segmental arcuate form, a jaw havinga pair of side members in spaced-apart, parallel relationship, each sidemember comprising two rigidly connected arms in substantially rightangular relationship, one end of each side member being pivotallymounted between the side plates the arcuate keeperportions; a block"rotatably mountedbetween the side members at the angle portion betweenthe arms thereof, a thrust screw mounted at its outermost endlto therotatable block,,a.nut providedjwitha gait of end; trunnions carried onvsaidthrust: screw, each trnnniontadaptedtor be detachably received inthe keeper 7 gortions ofi'theside, plates, a work engaging blockrotatably carried' between theside members; of the, jaw at theouterends, thereof, and;means between the jaw andthe sideplatesior;normally urging then-jaw inonedirection.

to maintain the trunnions of the nut-in the keeper portions.- V

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS438,826 Randall Oct. 21, 1890' 682,785 Caldwell Sept. 17, 1901 1,490,063Tower Apr. 8,v 1924 1,589,307 Svebilius, June 15', 1926' 2,523,293Hagenbook Sept. 26, 1950 2,613,243

Frean Oct. 7, 1952

